1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a video game apparatus, a command input method for the video game apparatus, and a computer-readable recording medium upon which is recorded programs for realizing the method, and particularly relates to a game apparatus wherein icons are displayed on a screen and the player selects the icons during the game so as to input correlating commands, a command input method for the video game, and a computer-readable recording medium upon which is recorded programs for realizing the method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In games of various genres, there are scenes wherein the player selects the action of a play character from a plurality of commands. In such a case, a method is used wherein icons, to which are appropriated commands to be input, are displayed on the screen, and the player selects one of the multiple icons, thereby inputting the command.
FIG. 65 is a diagram illustrating a conventional example of such an icon display. As shown in FIG. 65, multiple icons 300 through 309 are arrayed in two rows on a two-dimensional plane. Different commands are appropriated to each of the arrayed icons 300 through 309. The picture for each icon corresponds to a command with which it is correlated. For example, the icon 300 indicates that it is correlated with a command xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d. The player moves cursor 310, which is capable of moving within the screen using direction keys of a the controller, so as to be placed upon the displayed icon for the command to be selected. In the example shown in FIG. 65, the moving path of the cursor 310 over the icons 300 through 308 is shown by an arrow. Actuating a confirm key allows the player to input the selected command.
Also, as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 9-192353, there are arrangements wherein an image of a selected icon is displayed larger than the other icon images. This increases the ease of visual recognition of the icon, facilitates the ease of icon selection, and further simplifies the input of commands.
With the method of arraying the icons in a grid on a two-dimensional plane as shown in FIG. 65, the player must first recognize the desired icon, and then operate direction keys on the controller to move cursor 310 to the desired icon. For example, in the event that the player desires to select the command xe2x80x9cKxe2x80x9d, the player must find the icon 308, and move the cursor 310 to the position thereof.
However, it is not always easy for the player to speedily find the desired command from among the multiple icons 300 through 309. This task becomes even more complicated in the event that the number of icons to be displayed is increased, and also, the display area for displaying the icons as images requires a large area.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to suppress the number of displayed icons to which commands are appropriated, and to facilitate the ease of the player inputting desired commands from a great number of commands.
To this end, the game apparatus according to the present invention comprises a computer for controlling a game, and a recording medium that stores programs for causing the computer to control a game, wherein the program causes the computer to perform the following:
storing each of a first icon image group and a second icon image group made up of a plurality of icon images for the inputting of commands to be instructed to the computer;
respectively setting in a loop fashion a first orbit for moving the first icon image group into a virtual space, and a second orbit for moving the second icon image group;
positioning the stored first icon image group and the second icon image group on the set first orbit and set second orbit in a corresponding manner;
controlling the movement of the first icon image group and the second icon image group positioned on a display screen along corresponding first and second orbits, in response to an operation input; and
inputting commands correlated beforehand with combinations of icons placed on particular positions on the first orbit and the second orbit by the moving control.
With the game apparatus according to the present invention, a first orbit and a second orbit are set in a loop-shaped form in a virtual space, wherein icons can be moved on the screen following the first and second orbits, and the player can input commands correlated to the combination of icons. Thus, even in the event that the number of candidates for command selection is great, the number of icons displayed can be kept to a minimum.
Also, magic spells may be correlated beforehand with the input commands, to be executed. Thus, magic spells can be executed by selecting combinations of icons, so even in the event that there is a great number of types of magic spells in the game, the number of icons for magic spells displayed can be kept to a minimum.
Also, an arrangement may be employed wherein the position in the virtual space of one or more characters displayed on the screen is stored. Selected character information for specifying a character that is displayed on the screen and selected by the player is held. The character specified by the held selection information is changed to another character according to operating signals from the player. A first orbit and a second orbit is get with the position of the character specified by the stored selected character information as the center thereof.
Further, the commands appropriated to the first and second icon image groups may be hierarchically sorted and stored; with the icon positioning involving only icon images which are appropriated to the commands belonging to the hierarchical level selected by the player being selected and positioned from the first and second icon image groups. The diameters of each of the first and second orbits to be set according to the hierarchical level of the command appropriated to the icon image to be displayed can be changed to a diameter stored in correlation with the hierarchical level of the command.
Also, the game apparatus according to the present invention may further comprise a hierarchy change displaying means, wherein, in the event that the hierarchical level of the command selected by the player changes, the diameter of the orbit from the first or second orbit where the icon image to which the command regarding which the hierarchical level thereof changes is appropriated is either enlarged or reduced with the position of the character specified by the selected character information as the center thereof, so as to be deleted from the display screen, and the diameter of the orbit on which the icon image to which the command of the new hierarchical level is appropriated is displayed on the display screen again by either enlarging or reducing with the position of the character specified by the selected character information as the center thereof. Thus, the player is capable of visually grasping the switching of the hierarchical level of the command.
Also, the icons may be positioned on the first and second orbits at uniform distancing.
Also, an arrangement may be made wherein the selected icon images are positioned on specified positions on the first and the second orbits according to operating signals from the player, and the icons positioned on specified positions can be switched to other icons adjacent thereto on the first or the second orbits according to operating signals from the player. Thus, the player can select the desired combination of icons from the icons placed on the first and the second orbits.
Also, at least a part of the first and the second orbits may be set so as to intersect, or so as to be concentric.
Further, the above-described game apparatus can be realized by inputting commands with the command input method according to the present invention. Thus, with such hardware, the game apparatus according to the present invention can be easily carried out by executing the processing of the command input method according to the present invention using hardware such as general-purpose computers, general-purpose game apparatuses, or the like.
Also, the above game apparatus can be easily carried out by executing programs contained in a computer-readable recording medium according to the present invention, or programs transported by computer signals according to the present invention, using general-purpose computers, general-purpose game apparatuses, or the like. Thus, this can be easily distributed and sold independently from the apparatus as a software product, by means of the recording medium. Also, distributing the computer signals thereof as carrier waves from a host device allows the programs to be easily distributed independently from the apparatus. Then, using this software with appropriate hardware, such as, for example, general-purpose computers, general-purpose game apparatuses, or the like, allows the command input technique of the present invention to be easily carried out with such hardware.